We must hear from all sides of an issue, but well-proven lies should have no place on this page. A July 7 letter asserts as “factual” that Trump offered National Guard troops in advance of the Jan. 6 attack, and that Nancy Pelosi rejected that offer. Readily available sources establish beyond any doubt these claims are false.
The basis of Trump’s claim was an offhand remark he made to then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Jan. 5. As carefully reported, www.VanityFair.com (1-22-2021), Trump’s remark about “10,000 Guardsmen” was simply a typical Trumpian exaggeration related to the crowd size he hoped for on the 6th.
There is no record, in any event, that Miller or DOD acted on this remark. If Trump had actually authorized 10,000 troops (or 20,000, as contradictorily claimed at other points), there would be a record of that fact.
In fact, “only the president” has the authority to “activate the National Guard to the U.S. Capitol,” according to the CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society [CHS] (quote by CNN). This is confirmed on the home page of the D.C. National Guard website, stating its role is “subordinate solely to the President.” Specific “authority to activate” troops is “delegated … to the Secretary of Defense, and further delegated to the Secretary of the Army.”
There was in fact a request for Guardsmen in advance of Jan. 6 by D.C. officials, which Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy authorized. Only 340 Guardsmen “assigned mainly to traffic control” were...
A federal grand jury in St. George returned an indictment today charging a Utah podiatrist and two nurses who worked for him with fraud for their roles in a $29 million Medicare false claims case....